He looked at each of his children then at his wife. ‘I found out two days ago. The Howards won the case. The land is theirs.’ His shoulders slumped. ‘We’ve lost everything.’

Chapter Twenty-Five

Mairi put her hand to her mouth, stifling a sob. I felt so sorry for her. She loved this land. It was like a family member and now she was losing it.

‘The solicitor called while you were at the waterfall,’ Oscar said, voice softer now. ‘Broke the news. I called the Howards, asked them to hold on any action until after Christmas. They very graciously agreed.’ He looked at each of his children, his eyes glassy with tears. ‘I wanted our last Christmas here to be a happy one.’

‘Happy?’ Mairi said in a shaking voice. ‘How can it be happy knowing we’re going to lose our house to those thieving bastards?’

‘Mum, they have a legitimate claim,’ Dylan said gently. ‘They always have had.’

‘And maybe it’s a good thing,’ Heather said, rising from her seat, eyes sad. ‘A new start. There will be other places you can move to. Anywhere but here,’ she added, face darkening as she looked out over the loch. ‘There are too many horrible memories here. Isn’t it time to let them go?’

Rhonda pressed her face into her baby’s soft skin, closing her eyes.

‘Heather’s right, Mum,’ Glenn said. ‘It’ll be a chance to make a fresh start.’

Mairi looked at each of her children in turn, ending with Cole. ‘Do you want a fresh start, Cole?’

He held her gaze for a few moments then his shoulders slumped, all the fight gone out of him. ‘I’m exhausted, Mum.’ Dylan looked at his brother in shock.

‘Exhausted?’ Mairi backed away, shaking her head as she looked around her. ‘Our family home. Our land. And you will all give it up like that,’ she said, clicking her fingers.

‘We should have given it up eighteen years ago when we had the chance,’ Dylan said. ‘Maybe Eleanor would still be alive.’

She glared at him. I looked between them. What did Eleanor’s death have to do with the land dispute?

‘Dylan’s right,’ Cole said, his voice breaking. ‘I should have gone in after her. All of us should have.’

I looked between them all, struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Heather started crying as Glenn paced up and down, raking his fingers through his hair. Cole slumped down onto a chair as Rhonda looked out at the loch, unblinking. Oscar closed his eyes.

Only Mairi stood resolute, hands clenched. ‘And then what?’ she hissed. ‘We’d have lost our land, our business. Lost out on eighteen years of this,’ she said. ‘No private school education for you two,’ she said to Heather and Glenn. ‘Nor Alfie,’ she added. ‘No nice cars and clothes and extravagant Christmases.’